


A Life Safety Issue

by Ithildin



Series: Echoes the Sea [50]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Best Friends, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Male-Female Friendship, Post Avengers, Serial: Small Moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-21
Updated: 2012-07-21
Packaged: 2017-11-10 10:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/465353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithildin/pseuds/Ithildin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the little things that matter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Life Safety Issue

**Author's Note:**

> These are going to be along the same format as my Pirates of the Caribbean serial, [The Strangest Places](http://archiveofourown.org/works/169325), a series of short interconnected stories. I'd really enjoyed writing those in that manner, so revisiting the concept.
> 
> These are set a few days after the end of The Avengers.

"Have everything you need there?" Charlotte Sparrow asked, leaning against the kitchen door frame, arms crossed, tapping a foot. 

The shoulders of the man raiding her fridge tensed slightly, before turning around, an apple pie in his hands. "Got any cinnamon sauce for this?" he asked, the picture of innocence. 

"Tony!" She strode across the short distance between them, snatching the pie from his hands, pushing him aside as she put it back in the fridge, shutting the door. "You can't just wander in here whenever you like!"

Tony Stark looked mournfully at the refrigerator. "I was hungry. And so was Bruce!" he added, as if that would make her see reason. "He really wanted some pie."

"That's why you broke in to my penthouse? Because of Doctor Banner?" She rolled her eyes. "You are unbelievable!" 

"Hey! The guy wants something, you get it for him. Or have you forgotten the whole giant green rage monster thing?" He held his hands out, waving them up. "Big guy. Big green guy."

"Anthony Edward Stark, you know damn well that Doctor Banner would have never even seen a piece of that pie!"

"Come on, Birdie, he would have seen a piece. A very small piece, granted. But he would have seen one," he defended himself. "And 'breaking in', that's a little harsh. I mean, I am technically your landlord."

Tony had given Charlotte one of the penthouse apartments in the new Stark building in downtown Manhattan just before the alien invasion a few days before. Her best friend had never had much of a sense for personal boundaries, so catching him in her kitchen wasn't really much of a surprise. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to give him hell over it. 

"This is why you gave me the penthouse? So you could raid my pantry on a whim? And here I thought it was because I'm your best friend and you loved me." Sighing dramatically, she turned on her heel, leaving the room. "And you think you know people."

"Birdie, come on!" Catching up with her, he put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her and turning her around. He looked down at her with his gorgeous brown eyes. "I do love you." He paused, giving her a sassy look. "And I love your pantry. Oh, and the contents of your fridge too. You baking bread tomorrow? And if I could put in a request for one of those strawberry chocolate pies of yours, that would be awesome!"

Not letting him distract her from her point, she jabbed a finger at him. "You can't just show up here, Tony! What if I'd been…otherwise engaged?" she asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

He shook his head, grimacing, drawing back and crossing his arms. "You and the boyfriend? Really didn't need that mental image, Birdie."

"You would have had a lot more than a mental image if you'd dropped in at the wrong moment! 

"Stop already! Anyway, I know Methos isn't here – he's off doing SHIELD stuff. No harm, no foul." 

Charlotte just shook her head, turning around once more and continuing towards the living area of the apartment. Reaching the sofa, she pointed to the coffee table. "Eat."

Tony looked down to see pie and coffee set out, along with a small creamer filled with cinnamon sauce. "You were going to invite me down for pie? You're the best, bestie!" 

Flopping down onto the sofa, she replied, "Not exactly."

"Not exactly? Wait a sec, you knew I was coming!" 

"Good to know that genius thing isn't all talk."

"How did…? Jarvis!" he called out accusingly.

" _Sir_?" the AI majordomo responded quizzically.

"Traitor!" He glared up at the ceiling. "You weren’t supposed—" 

"To tell me you set him to spy on me?" Charlotte finished with mock sweetness. Before he could respond to her accusation, she said, "Come on, Tony, like I didn't know you'd set Jarvis on me like a watchdog after what happened?"

"I was just worried about you, Birdie. Wanted to have a head's up if that bastard, Loki, ever made another appearance."

"I know," she said softly, taking his hand and pulling him down to sit next to her. "And, just for the record, I appreciate the concern. Though not, I will admit, the long existential conversations Jarvis and Methos seem so fond of at 2AM."

"So how'd you find out?"

"It was a life safety issue," she said, eyes twinkling. 

"Oh yeah?"

 _"Indeed, sir._ "

Tony leaned back, waiting. "I'm going to love this."

"I had a pie in the oven, and the timer had gone off," she began.

 _"And of course I was concerned that madam's confection might burn,"_ Jarvis picked up the tale. 

"And that wouldn't be good." She nodded sharply.

" _The potential for a fire left me with no option but to reveal my presence."_

Charlotte started to giggle, falling against Tony's shoulder as laughter overwhelmed her. 

"Funny. You two should go on the road." A smile tugged at his lips, and he put an arm around her shoulders. "I wasn't sure we could still do this."

"What?"

"This. Me, you, hanging out."

The wistfulness in his voice brought a lump to her throat. "Just because the world is different than it was last week doesn't change the little things, the moments in our lives that are important because they are small ones; between friends, lovers, family. Tony, _this_ is what matters—what will always matter."


End file.
